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“Dinnae mention that name tae me. A hundred times I implored him tae gae and rescue ye, and a hundred times he denied me! He kept saying how dangerous it was, how he could nae send men tae die like that. He came back from Norway, but he didnae bring my son with him, did he! A villain he is, a villain!” Dougal cried.

Brenda recoiled in shock. She hadn’t anticipated anyone feeling like this about her cousin, and she wasn’t quite sure what to say. Seamus placed his hand on Dougal’s back to steady him and calm him down.

“Dinnae be angry at Erik. He haed his reasons,” Douglas said, and Brenda breathed a sigh of relief. At least there wasn’t any enmity between Douglas and Erik.

Before Dougal could respond, there another man came toward them; he wore a long robe. His black hair was tied into a ponytail, and his face was clean-shaven. He was tall too, but unlike Douglas, he was slender, as though he would sway in the wind like a thin branch of a willow tree.

“Douglas, it’s my honor tae greet ye,” he said. “My name is Lucas, and I’m the laird of this village.”

At this, Douglas twisted his head toward his father and looked at him with uncertainty etched upon his face. “What dae ye mean ye are the laird? Da? What happened?”

Dougal sighed and waved a hand dismissively through the air. “It’s all in the past now. The clan needed a new laird, that’s all, and Lucas is a fine man, a fine man indeed. If ye were here…well…there’s no sense thinking about that,” Dougal muttered, his words trailing into silence.

“Ye are tae kind as always, Dougal,” Lucas said, before turning back to Douglas to explain that Dougal took Douglas’s absence hard, and it affected his ability to lead. The clan, unfortunately, could not have a laird who was unable to focus on his duties, so Dougal stepped aside, and Lucas took his place.

“I hae tried tae live up tae yer da’s example,” Lucas said, “and I’m glad that ye are here. It haes been tae long since ye hae graced us with yer presence. I hope that ye will join me for dinner shortly—after ye hae reunited with yer family, of course. I’ll send someone tae call on ye when the food is ready,” Lucas said.

Douglas nodded and then turned back to his family. He walked up to them and embraced them again in turn. Their bodies shuddered with emotion, and Brenda felt like an intruder. She averted her gaze and noticed the other members of the clan watching this scene with pride. Douglas’s absence had been tough on them, she thought, and in his father, she saw something of her own. They had both been touched by grief and had relinquished their roles as leaders, but where Dougal was fiery and burned with hatred, Erik was quiet and solemn. She wasn’t sure which one was worse.

She followed Douglas as they returned to their home. Douglas once again told the story of how he had been found and of all that had happened to him over the past couple of years. As the story went on, Dougal got more and more agitated.

“This is all his fault. He should never hae taken ye with him.” There was no mystery to whom he was referring, as it was the same disdain with which he had spoken about Erik before. Brenda wanted to speak up in defense of her cousin, but she was in another man’s home and had to respect his opinion, as he was her host.

“It’s in the past, Da. There’s nay use speaking of him like this,” Douglas said.

“Oh, there’s a use alright. I always knew the Vikings were trouble. I used tae tell ye that they would curse this land. Ye convinced me otherwise. Ye told me tae hae an open mind. Well, look where it got us,” Dougal spat, shaking his head.

“Come on, Da, ye know ye should nae be getting angry. It’s nae good for ye,” Seamus said in a soft, caring tone.

Dougal waved his worry away with a slash of the hand.

“Ye cannae deny they’ve been good for the Highlands, Da. Now, what is this all about this land dispute?” Douglas asked.

“I’d save that for dinner with Lucas,” Seamus warned. “He’s the one who knows what’s gaeing on,” he said.

It wasn’t long before they were called for dinner. The table in Lucas’s home was filled with bowls of vegetables and plates of meat. Birds had been plucked, rabbits had been carved, and they sat down to a hearty meal. The air smelled delicious, and Brenda’s appetite was stoked. It seemed as though she wasn’t the only one. She watched as Douglas loaded his plate with food until it was a mountain.

“Hae ye nae eaten since ye escaped?” Seamus asked with wide eyes. Douglas gave a sheepish smile and gulped down a mouthful of food.

“Food always tastes better at home,” he said.

Brenda helped herself to what she thought was a respectable portion and decided to keep quiet for the time being to observe and learn from the dynamics of these men. She had learned a while ago that men often didn’t consider women a threat or of particular importance, and she often faded into the background. She also wasn’t sure of her position here. In an official capacity, she was merely Douglas’s companion, but she also wondered if she could glean any information that might be of value to her cousin.

“Well, eat up, Douglas. There’s plenty tae gae around!” Lucas cried as he lifted a glass and took a swig of wine. The mood was joyous as the Bannerman clan was reunited again, and Lucas spoke of all that had happened to the clan over the past two years.

“Da said that he asked Erik tae form a search party tae rescue me,” Douglas said.

Lucas’s face was solemn and heavy.

“Aye, that he did, but Erik wouldnae hae any of it. He said he wanted tae rescue ye, but it would mean war with the Vikings. I hae never thought a Viking would be cowardly, but I lost a lot of respect for him when he decided that,” Lucas said.

Brenda bristled at the insult, but she bit her tongue. While she didn’t agree with her cousin’s decision to leave Douglas at the mercy of the Bjork clan, she could understand why he might not have wanted to send a fleet of ships across to Norway, especially when he couldn’t have been sure that Douglas was still alive.

“Bad for the Highlands, a curse they are. We might as well have welcomed rats in our midst,” Dougal cackled, picking bits of meat off the bone and nibbling them with his yellow teeth. “I always told ye that we would rue the day, and now we hae.”

Douglas glanced at his father. Brenda would have liked to dismiss Dougal’s ramblings as nothing more than an older man’s lamentation, but he had been laird here and still wielded some influence. He was also Douglas’s father, and if she and Douglas were to deepen their relationship, she would like to have a good relationship with Dougal. Perhaps it would be her responsibility to ensure that his opinion of Vikings changed.

“What is really happening between ye and the Hoffstads? I know it’s nae all about their reluctance tae come rescue me. What is this about the land?”